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Of Loss and Magic: Hamilton Wende’s Arabella, the Moon and the Magic Mongongo Nut

Arabella (nearly twelve years old) lives a normal, happy life in Parktown, Johannesburg. But then her father dies, suddenly, of cancer. Not long after this Arabella receives a magic mongongo nut from Khanyi, the mielie seller, and her pet monkey and this sets a fantastical chain of events into motion: Arabella discovers that, planted in the garden, the nut grows into a tree which can only be seen by moonlight and on which grows a magic fruit. When Ukhozi, the eagle, crash lands in Arabella’s bedroom one night, he tells her what she needs to do keep her world in balance. Hadedas, led by Ozymandias, “the most evil bird in the sky”, has taken the magic mongongo nut and Arabella has to recapture it.

“A well-crafted magical adventure with many touches of enjoyable light humour. Arabella is a normal girl, who gains courage and self-knowledge through the magic events, and eventually chooses Right against Wrong.” – Jay Heale.